Log: week 6 / 2020

Richard Stanley's long awaited return to feature film cinema. As if Stanley himself wasn't cult enough, he joins ranks with Nicolas Cage and takes on a HP Lovecraft story. The result is every bit as crazy as you'd expect it to be, but also a little stuck in the past. There's really a lot of fun to be had here, but it's no masterpiece.

Stark and atmospheric reinterpretation of several Grimm fairytales. Oz Perkins' style is quite minimal, but very precise and effective. Beautiful cinematography and a killer soundtrack make this a very dark and moody film, which nails the balance between its fantasy and horror elements. A very nice surprise indeed.

Patrick Tam does his best to deliver a stylish thriller, but his attempt isn't entirely successful. The film is a little too reliant on the plot, not all actors are up to the task and visually it's a mixed bag. It's definitely better than the average Hong Kong genre effort, but despite some decent moments the film fails to engage.

A film that loses itself trying to be ode and parody in one. Steere is clearly aware of the kind of film he's making here, which is fine as long as he keeps introducing new and crazy things. But halfway through the ideas start to dry up and what's left is a cheap parody of trash cinema. Some laughs to be had, but it's not enough.

Cheh Chang doing contemporary action is a little awkward, but it has nothing on Yuen Chor doing romance. The film is incredibly cheesy, from the poor performances to the horrendous soundtrack and the tepid drama, nothing works. It's a disaster from start to finish, though somehow it's an oddly compelling disaster if you're familiar with Chor's work.

A decent but slightly underwhelming horror anthology. Six respected directors tackle 10 horror stories, but with a setup like this there simply isn't enough variation in style and themes. There are no real weak entries, on the other hand far too few shorts that make an effort to stand out. Solid filler, but nothing more.

Slightly fantastical romance that deals with grief. The film is beautifully animated and has its fair share of stand-out moments, but the art style is a little underwhelming and the soundtrack doesn't really help the film forward either. Not quite up to Yuasa's own standards, but even a lesser Yuasa is still worth checking out

A pleasant mix of crime and dark comedy elements. The film takes a while to get going and the editing should've been a bit tighter, but decent performances, above average cinematography and a couple of interesting twists set this film apart from its peer. Definitely not an outstanding film, but as filler it's more than satisfactory.

Extremely silly and cheesy, but that's when Godzilla films are at their best. The middle part is a little drawn out and some special effects look a bit too cheap, especially for a film from '94, but the final 30 minutes are a real hoot. It's not first-rate cinema of course, but it's pretty entertaining and it passes the time quite effectively.

Very stylish and heartfelt romantic drama about the precarious balance between passion and trust. Though Huo is known to be a very skilled romance director, this film felt closer to Yibai Zhang's early work, sporting a more contemporary, urban vibe. Great cinematography and superb central performances make this a worthy entry in Huo's oeuvre.

A simple revenge tale that is dragged out unnecessarily and fails to engage because the direction is so lackluster. Mediocre performances, bland cinematography and a slavish fixation on plot make this a very forgettable affair. A poor genre exercise that tries to be edgy and relevant, but doesn't work on any level.

Cheesy and kitsch. Billy Zane is terrible, the rest of the cast isn't any better really. The effects are fake and the plot is a mess, luckily there are a couple of scenes that are a bit freakier than normal. Not enough to save the film, in the end it fails both as a horror film as well as a comedy, but at least it wasn't a total disaster.

A fine collection of Matrix-related short films, dominated by the Studio 4°C efforts. The anthology sports a varied range of art styles, first-class animation and several interesting takes on the Matrix universe. Not all shorts are a hit, but there are plenty of stand-out pieces that make this one a very easy sell.

Feels slightly more serious than most entries in the Godzilla franchise, at the same time also a little less entertaining. It's a decent film that is going to please fans of Honda, but the Frankenstein creatures aren't as enigmatic as Godzilla and even though the film is short, it does drag a little in places. Not bad, but not a stand-out Honda either.

Childish, lame and incredibly dull. This was supposed to be a comedy, but I didn't get to laugh even once. The actors are terrible, the superhero jokes are tired and predictable, the film looks like a children's horror flick. It took me a lot of effort to sit this one out, DC & Sandberg should be ashamed of this disaster.